1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bus bar assembly made by insert-molding the bus bar into a housing, and to a vehicle room lamp having the bus bar assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a conventional vehicle room lamp attached to a ceiling of a vehicle, a room lamp is known to be made by assembling a bus bar, which is made by punching and bending a metal plate, into a synthetic-resin-made housing (for example, see Patent Document 1). FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a bus bar as a component of a conventional vehicle room lamp.
As shown in FIG. 5, a bus bar 103 is provided with a plurality of press-connecting portions 104 with which an electric wire is press-connected, a pair of component-attaching portions 107 to which a bulb as a light source is attached, a plurality of contact points 108 which are electrically connected to a switch for switching a power supply from the electric wire to the bulb, a plurality of wiring portions 105 which connect the press-connecting portions 104, the component-attaching portions 107, and the contact points 108 according to a specific pattern, a plurality of locking claws 102 which are pressed into and locked with the housing, and a bridge portion 109 which connects the wiring portions 105 to each other.
Each press-connecting portion 104 is composed of a bottom wall 140, and a pair of press-connecting blades 141 vertically extended from both edges of the bottom wall 140. The electric wire is press-connected with the pair of press-connecting blades 141, and electrically connected to the pair of press-connecting blades 141.
Each of the component-attaching portions 107 is provided with a plate portion 170 continued to the wiring portions 105, and a pair of clipping portions 171 continued to both edges of the plate portion 170. A one end of the bulb is clipped between the pair of clipping portions 171 of the one of the component-attaching portions 107, and the other end of the bulb is clipped between the pair of clipping portions 171 of the other one of the component-attaching portions 107, thereby the bulb is electrically connected to the pair of component-attaching portions 107.
Each of the wiring portions 105 is formed in a band shape having a constant width, and arranged along a surface of the housing.
The locking claws 102 are extended vertically from edges of the wiring portions 105 or the like, and as described above, pressed into and locked with the housing.
The bridge portion 109 is configured to ease an assembly of the bus bar 103 with the housing, and after the bus bar 103 is assembled with the housing, the bridge portion 109 is cut off and removed.
A vehicle room lamp having the above-described bus bar 103 is assembled as follows. Firstly, the bus bar 103 made by punching and bending a metal plate is assembles with the housing by pressing the locking claws 102 into the housing and locking the locking claws 102 with the housing. Next, the bridge portions 109 are cut off and removed. Then, the bulb is attached to the pair of component-attaching portions 107, and the electric wire is press-connected with the press-connecting portions 104. Lastly, a cover is attached to the housing. Thus, the vehicle room lamp is assembled.
[Patent Document 1] JP, A, 2005-329883
However, there are problems described below in the conventional vehicle room lamp having the bus bar 103. When the electric wire is press-connected with the press-connecting portions 104, due to an impact generated by the press-connecting operation, the press-connecting portions 104 and the wiring portions 105 around the press-connecting portions 104 may be deformed. Further, in the above-described bus bar 103, the locking claws 102 are extended in a direction opposed to the extending direction of the press-connecting blades 141. Therefore, heights of the bus bar 103 and the housing become large, and the assembling condition with a vehicle is regulated. Further, in the above-described bus bar 103, when assembling with the housing, the number of assembling man-hours is large such that a plurality of locking claws 102 are pressed into and locked with the housing, and the bridge portion 109 is cut off and removed, thereby an assembling cost is increased.
These problems are not limited to the vehicle room lamp, but to the other electronic devices having the above-described bus bar and the housing.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a bus bar assembly configured to prevent press-connecting portions and the surroundings from being deformed generated by press-connecting an electric wire, and to prevent the height of a bus bar from being enlarged, and to reduce assembling man-hours, and to provide a vehicle room lamp having the bus bar assembly.